Sell Gas and Buy Battery Chainsaw?

   / Sell Gas and Buy Battery Chainsaw? #91  
Old logger needs advice. I bought my tree farm from an old logger, been in the family for 100 years etc etc.

He and I have become friends and with him fighting cancer, i find i'm more involved than i planned and thankful for the opportunity.

He's the kinda guy who, when he saw my new echo chain saw kinda spat on the ground, gave me the stink eye and said, in 50 years i've never seen anything but stihl on a pro logging deck. Whoops.

He has to drive over so i can start his stihl chainsaw. I've tuned it up etc etc and it starts fine. He just does not have the strength to pull it hard enough. I think after a few pulls he floods it?

I suggested an electric chain saw. After he put away his 45 he stopped and thought, maybe that's the answer. I think his gun weighs more than he does.

I've totally written off batt powered tools for2 reasons. Seems i'm always looking for a hot batt and 2.....they pound you just as hard as they can for replacement batts. I will NEVER buy any new dewalt tool only because of that.

My old buddy mostly cuts up big branches that fall or medium sized logs that i take to him.

There are a bunch out there, any suggestions for a 75 year old with limited strength? thx

But if it were to be a Stihl what could he say?

I do wish Stihl had more options for using and charging.

My first Makita uses in truck 12 volt charger... so battery never farther away than my truck...
 
   / Sell Gas and Buy Battery Chainsaw? #92  
My Stihl pole saw oil reservoir does not leak a drop of oil. But the gas chainsaws do. I also have a Stihl corded electric saw and it does not leak oil.

Odd.

My experience too.
 
   / Sell Gas and Buy Battery Chainsaw? #93  
Actually it depends on your needs. Personally, I have GreenWorks 40 volt 16" that I am very impressed with. Not quite as powerful as the gas one but very handy and fully meets my needs.
 
   / Sell Gas and Buy Battery Chainsaw? #94  
For limbing around the property - perhaps. For serious firewood gathering - I doubt. I burned five full cords, every year, when we had a wood burning stove. Two large Ponderosa pines was all it took to get the five cords. I just don't see a battery powered saw felling or cutting up a pine that is 32" to 38" on the butt.
 
   / Sell Gas and Buy Battery Chainsaw? #95  
For limbing around the property - perhaps. For serious firewood gathering - I doubt. I burned five full cords, every year, when we had a wood burning stove. Two large Ponderosa pines was all it took to get the five cords. I just don't see a battery powered saw felling or cutting up a pine that is 32" to 38" on the butt.

Of course not. You wouldn't use a 40cc gas saw for cutting up trees that are 32" to 38" on the butt either.

I could easily see one of the better battery saws currently out there fitting the personal firewood needs of someone who does not need to cut large diameter trees. If they wanted to make a dedicated day of it, they'd need a spare battery or two (maybe more, if your saw has only low capacity batteries). Many folks cutting for their personal firewood use do so as an excuse to get out and get some exercise and spend some time in the woods. Maximum productivity is not the point. I've used a friend's Milwaukee M18 Fuel cordless saw with their 12 AH high-output battery cutting up 6" - 8" hardwoods. The speed suffers a bit even in comparison to my old Jonsered 2152 (a 50cc "almost pro" saw, same thing as a Husky 353). It won;t come anywhere near keeping up with my Husky 357XP (even though that saw has definitely seen better days). Other gas saws and some other battery saws are better for limbing, but it worked surprisingly well on the 6" - 8" hardwoods we were cutting that day. The Milwaukee has a slower chain speed than most gas saws, and is lower than a some other battery saws, but it has good torque, which makes a difference in hardwoods. For what we were cutting that day, it was a decent match. That size log happens to be my friend's favorite: easy to handle with his handheld log tongs, and splits nicely on the 4-way wedge on his splitter.

He has other gas saws, but I could easily see him getting by on this for the 4 or 5 cords a year he burns. Since he's not doing firewood year round, having no worries about chainsaw storage issues would be a plus. There is no way he's ready to get rid of is gas saws, but it was easy to see how he could manage with it if he was focusing on his favorite size range of logs anyway. If he were pushing larger volumes or did not have the bit of extra time to spend on his existing needs, he'd definitely want to be using something more powerful.
 
   / Sell Gas and Buy Battery Chainsaw? #96  
I have a Ego 56V 14" as my first dive into electric. It compliments my Husky 50.......

There are other reasons for saws other than logging and fire wood......I drive a LOT of old logging and Class IV and V roads during hunting season and during scouting trips. Carrying a gas saw in the truck with the dogs etc. sucks. Charging up the Ego and throwing it in the back seat is easy.....no fumes, only bar oil to worry about. Great for when you come across a 10" tree down across the road 5 miles into a logging road......

The Ego rips......fine for limbing and quick clean-up......sure it would be great with a larger bar but it works fine for what it is and it is quiet as heck. Great to just grab it, cut and put it back.....no starting procedure, fueling, hearing protection etc.....grab, cut, put back.
 
   / Sell Gas and Buy Battery Chainsaw? #97  
The EGo 14” and 16” use same motor but the 18” is a big upgrade. I have briefly used the 16”, really like my 18”, and can’t say I know any more than I’m happy to have the 18”.
 
   / Sell Gas and Buy Battery Chainsaw? #98  
Thread should be: Keep Gas and buy battery chainsaw. I love my Makita battery saw, but don't use it for bigger jobs, have gas saws for that. It sure is handy for quick jobs and on the trails, used it in deer season to cut shooting lanes. Gas and battery both have their place. You can never have too many chainsaws, right?
Bill
 
 
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